Theatres in the West End of London are due to dim their lights tonight (Tuesday 21 January) to remember the actress Dame Joan Plowright who died last week.
Dame Joan and her husband Laurence Olivier moved to Royal Crescent, on Brighton seafront, in the 1960s and later moved to a village just outside Steyning.
She died peacefully at the age of 95 last Thursday (16 January) surrounded by her family at a care home in Northwood, north west London.
UK Theatre and Society of London Theatre co-chief executive Hannah Essex said that Dame Joan had been a “deeply respected figure … leaving an indelible mark on the industry she shaped with her talent and dedication”.
She added: “We are honoured to contribute to the celebration of her extraordinary career (by dimming the London theatre lights for two minutes) and extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and loved ones.”
Dame Joan won a Golden Globe for her performances in the TV biopic Stalin and for Enchanted April for which she was also nominated for an Academy Award.
Although she missed out on an Oscar, she won a Tony for her role in A Taste of Honey on Broadway in 1961 – the year she married Laurence Olivier, later Lord Olivier of Brighton.
She appeared in two plays in the opening season of the Chichester Festival Theatre in 1962 – her husband was the newly founded theatre’s first artistic director. She went on to star in more plays there down the years.
The theatre’s current bosses paid tribute to her and said: “We in Chichester were privileged that several of her most memorable performances were on the Festival Theatre stage.
“They and she will live long in our memories. We send our deepest sympathies to her family and friends.”
Dame Joan’s family said: “It is with great sadness that the family of Dame Joan Plowright, the Lady Olivier, inform you that she passed away peacefully on Thursday 16 January 2025 surrounded by her family at Denville Hall aged 95.
“She enjoyed a long and illustrious career across theatre, film and TV over seven decades until blindness made her retire.
“She cherished her last 10 years in Sussex with constant visits from friends and family, filled with much laughter and fond memories.
“The family are deeply grateful to Jean Wilson and all those involved in her personal care over many years.
“Joan is survived by her loving family: Tamsin and Wilf, Julie-Kate and Dan, Richard, Shelley, Troy, Ali, Jeremy, step-granddaughter and great-granddaughter Kaya and Sophia and great-granddaughter soon to arrive.
“We are so proud of all Joan did and who she was as a loving and deeply inclusive human being.
“She survived her many challenges with Plowright grit and courageous determination to make the best of them, and that she certainly did.
“Rest in peace, Joan.”
